Automatic alarm.



C. GBNTONI.

AUTOMATIC ALARM.

APPLiOA'I'IoH FILED APB.19, 1909.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0. CENTONI.

AUTOMATIC ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 19, 1909.

1,012,812. Patented Dec.26, 1911.

3 BHEET8-SHEET 2.

G. CBNTONI.

AUTOMATIC ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED APB.19 1909.

\ Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F Tm

gm T A 371b) M2 mamas/sap 7% CESARE CEN'IONI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC ALARM;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Application filed April' 19, 1909. Serial No; 490,686.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CEsAnE CEN'roNI a subject of the King of Italy,residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticAlarms, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in automatic alarms and refersmore particularly to a construction of that character adapted for usewith portable money or look boxes.

' Among the objects of the invention are to provide a series of alarmcontrolling devices whereby the alarm will be set off in case any one ofa given number of conditions arises; to provide a construction in whichafter certain controlling mechanism is placed in initial operativecondition, the alarm will automatically ring and continue to do so ifthe box be surreptitiously. moved from the place in which it was left;to provide a construction in which after certain other mechanism isplaced in initial operative condition the alarm will be actuated if thebox be opened and will not cease ringing if the cover be closed; toprovide a con.- struction in which the alarmis automatically actuated incaseof fire; to provide a construction which is particularly adapted foruse with portable boxes used in carrying valuables while traveling; toprovide in a device of the character referred to simple circuitconnections for controlling the alarm or bell; and in general to providea simple, economical and 'eliicient construction of the characterreferred to.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box in openposition a portion of the cover being broken away. to reduce the size ofthe drawing; Fig. 2, is a similar top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view taken through lines 33 of Fig. 2 and looking inthe direction of the arrows; Fig. dis a vertical sectional view of thebox and showing more particularly the mechanism for setting off thealarm when the box is lifted; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectionalview taken on lines 55 of Fig. 4': Fig. 6 is a. detail perspective viewof a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a diagrammaticview of the circuit connect-ions controlling the alarm; Fig. 8 is asomewhat modified construction of the contact controlling mechanismshown at the right hand side of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole a cash or look box ofordinary construction, the cover 2 .of which is locked in closedposition by means of the usual lock 3. iVithin this box is seated afalse wall or inner .casing having three sides spaced away from thewalls of the box. Within one end of the box Within the caslng 1s fixed abattery cell 5 of ordinary type. In the spaces between the inner casingand the walls of the box are seated the various mechanisms controllingthe alarm,'in order that they may be out of the way of the {)noney orother valuables placed within the At that end of the box remote from thebattery 5 is secured an ordinary electric alarm bell 6; and inasmuch asthe construction of this alarm forms no part of the present invention itneed not be described in detail.

To the binding posts 7 of the alarm are secured a plurality of circuitconnections which lead back to the opposite sides of the battery 5, andin these circuit connections are interposed series of normally open con:tacts pertaining to the various alarm con- I trolling mechanisms. I

Describing the mechanism which controls the contact devices which areclosed when the mechanism in question is put in initial operativecondition and the box opened; at the rear end of the box betweeninsulated guides 9, 9 is reciprocally mounted a contact bar 10. One endof this bar carries a contact stud 11 adapted to engage a contact spring13 mounted upon the box and insulated therefrom as shown at 13. Theotherv end of the bar engages a spring of generally U shape constructiondesignated 12 which is mounted on the box and tends to force the bar andcontact 11 into engagement with the contact 13. This bar 10 is providedwith a downwardly extending In 14: which is engaged by an ordinary throwolt 15 operated through the key hole 15 from the outer rear side of thebox. When the bar is retracted to the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 3, the bolt (not shown) of manner. Above the bar is pivoted to therear wall of the'box as shown at 16 a controlling lever 17 which isprovided at its lowerside with a finger 18 adapted to enter a cam recess19 in the bar 10. The finger 18 is normally held out of the recess 19 bymeans of a coiled expansion spring 20 mounted upon bracket 21 secured tothe box. This spring engages the lever 17 as shown. Preferably the bar10 is offset as shown at 22 in order to permit the spring to morereadily engage the lever 17. The free end of the latter is insulated atits upper, edge as shown at 23 and when the box is-closed this insulatedportion will be depressed by a block 24 upon the cover 2. The finger 18will accordingly be forced into the cam recess and the bar 10 held inretracted position. If the bolt of the lock 15 be with drawn out ofengagement with the lug 14 it will be seen that as soon as the cover isopened and the block passes out of. engagement with the'lever, thespring 20 will force the finger 18 out of the recess 19 whereupon thecontact stud 11 will be forced into engagement with the contact 13 inthe manner heretofore described.

Referring now to the mechanism which controls the setting off of. thealarm when the box is surreptitiously lifted or removed from itsposition, upon the front side wall of the box is secured a lock28'operated from the outside of the box through a key hole 29. w Thislock is or may be of usual construction, the bolt 30 thereof howeverbeing connected to a cylindrical socket member 31 mounted to slide inguides 32, 32 secured to the wall of the box. Within this socket memberis seated a coiled spring 33 one end of which bears against the head 34of a pin or bolt 35. The latter extends through a suitable opening intheend of the socket member and is adapted to engage a contactcontrolling arm hereinafter more particularly described. At one side ofthe socket member and rigidly secured thereto is a gripper arm 36 havinga right angled extension 37 at its outer end. Within a guide bracket 38is mounted to reciprocate a contact controlling arm 39 which. isnormally forced downwardly through a suitable opening in the bottom ofthe box by means of a spring 40 seated in a socket 41. To the lower endof the arm 39 is secured but insulated therefrom as shown in Fig. 7 agenerally U shaped contact member 42 WhlCh is adapted to engage 'astationary contact member 43 when the rod 39 is in the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 4. The outerface of the contact controlling arm 39is provided with a recess 39 in which the extension 37 of the arm 36 isseated when the parts are in normal position, and the contact 42 therebyheld positively out of engagement with the contact 43. The opposite faceof the arm 39 is provided with a recess 44 to receive the bolt 35 in themanner hereinafter described.

The operation of the mechanism just described is as follows: The box isfirst placed on a table or other support and the lock 28 turned so thatthe head 37 passes out of engagement with the arm 39 while the bolt 35abuts against the lower side 44 ofthe recess 44. The bottom of the arm39 inasmuch as it extends through the bottom of the box rests upon thesupport for the latter and prevents the spring 40 from forcing itdownwardly. When the box is lifted the spring 40 of course forces thearm 39 downwardly through the aperture referred to whereupon thecontacts 42 and 43 are closed. At the same time the bolt 35 enters therecess 44 and looks the arm 39 against upward movement. alarm will ringcontinually until the lock 28 is turned and the bolt 35 withdrawn, eventhough the box he returned to the support upon which it formerly rested.The circuit connections ,for the contacts 42 and 43 will be hereinafterdescribed.

Frequently boxes of this character are inadvertently left or forgottenby the owner as when leaving a train or vehicle. My device is soconstructed as to automatically notify the owner in case he forgets tocarry the box with him. Accordingly within one end of the box is seateda pair of contact springs 48, 49 insulated at one end from the It willthus be seen that the box and also from each other as shownat 50 and 51respectively; and having their other ends protruding through a suitableaperture 52 in the end of the box. The outer ends of these springs arenormally held apart by When not in use the block may be locked betweenthe contact springs by means of a pin 54 carried by an arm 55 pivoted tothe outside of the box as shown at 56. The

pin is adapted to pass through suitable ap- (iTrtures in the springs andblock as shown 111 In a modified form of construction shown in Fig. 8,the block is dispensed with and the springs held out of engagement witheach other by means of a combustible cord or fusible link 57. In case offire the cord burns and the contact springs 48 and 49 being releasedautomatically close and set off the alarm.

Describing now the various circuit connections and referring moreparticularly to the diagram, the circuit for the contact members ll and13 is as follows:' from the positive side of the battery by way of acommon conductor 60 to branch conductor 61, thence over bar 10 tocontacts 11 and 13. From the contacts by way of branch conductor 62to'another common conductor 63 to the bell. From the opposite side ofthe belltothe battery by way of a return conductor .64.. The circuitconnectionsfor the fcontactsg48 and 49 are as follows: from-battery bycommon conductor 60 and branch 65 66 to common conductor 63 and bell. 20

to springs 48 and 49; thence by conductor From bell to batterybyreturnconductor 64 as be fore. The circuit connections for the springs 42 and43 may be-traced from battery 5 and conductor 60 to branch 67 andsprings 42 and 43; thence by way of branch conductor 68 to commonconductor 63 to bell, and return as before.

The operation of the various mechanisms will be apparent from theforegoing description and need not be described'in detail.

It is apparent that the invention is not limited to the detailsofconstruction shown in its broader aspects. I

I claim as my invention:

1. In an alarm box, the combination with a box having an alarm andbattery therein, of circuit connections between the alarm and battery, apair of contact devices interposed in said circuit connections, acontact closing member adapted to. reciprocate throughan aperture in thebottom of the box, a spring normally forcing said member downwardly,

a locking'bar adapted to engage a notch in said contact closing memberfor positively locking the latter in its downward position when the boxis lifted, and a spring acting to force said locking bolt into saidnotch,

and a key controlled bolt for placing saidated locking bar adapted toautomatically engage said notch when the contact controlling memberdrops downwardly and a throw bolt controlled from the" outside of thebox which places said locking bar in its initial operative position.

3. In an automatic alarm box, the combination with a box having an alarmand battery therein, circuit. connections between said alarm andbattery, contact devlces interposed in said circuit connections, acontact controlling member mounted to reciprocate through an aperture inthe bottom of the box, and adapted to automatically drop downwardly, aspring pressed locking bar adapted to engage the contact controllingmember and lock the latter in its downward position, and a keycontrolling locking bolt accessible from the exterior of the box forplacing said locking bar in operative or inoperative position.

CESARE CENTONI.

Witnesses:

JosnrH H. NIOOLAI, Gnonon A. Onnson.

